


Dead Sun

by Fly09Fire



Category: The 100 (TV), The 100 Series - Kass Morgan
Genre: Bellarke, Childhood Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Mentioned Linctavia, Modern AU, Survival, game show
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-17
Updated: 2015-09-18
Packaged: 2018-04-09 21:40:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4365179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fly09Fire/pseuds/Fly09Fire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Twelve survivors of a series of devastating apocalyptic E.M.P. blasts have all stumbled upon little Arktown, one of the only stable areas left in the world. They know nothing about each other, but they’ll have to work together to survive the challenges the new world throws at them. The only thing they have in common? Surviving the flesh eating cannibals who were affected by the E.M.P. They’re crazed, starving, and are driven by the instinct to kill. No one knows what it did to them, all they know is that the only thing that can stop the animals... is death.</p>
<p>Welcome to Dead Sun.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dead Sun

**Author's Note:**

> Hello fellow 100 lovers! I have had this idea kicking around for a while and would love to share it with all of you. 
> 
> I am all about developing my voice as a writer so feedback would appreciated massively. I put my heart and soul into my work, so be sure I will work my hardest not to disappoint you. It tears me up to think someone was left unhappy with my writing. 
> 
> So, in a nut shell, I hope you read this, I hope you like it, but overall I hope and pray that you...
> 
> ENJOY!

Clarke clutched the results of her latest physical in her hands. She tried not to wrinkle it, tapped her fingers against the paper, bounced her knee, but somehow she always got back to thumbing away at the sheet as she waited, until the edges curled and a long crease ran right down the centre. She cursed under her breath, even considered leaving to go print out a fresh copy. She stood, and the dull red doors the receptionist sat just to left of swung open.

“Eager as ever!” a man in trim blue suit said, his face lighting up as he strode towards her.

“Y-Yeah.” Clarke pulled a smile on so quickly her cheeks ached as she held out a hand to grasp the one the man offered her. “Cage Wallace, right?” She knew very well who the CEO of Mount Weather Entertainment was, just as she knew his father, Dante, was president of the much larger sister company, New Earth Incorporate.

“And you must be Clarke.” Cage smiled as he threw an arm around her shoulders. It showed way too much teeth, like the clown’s smile from It, and Clarke shuddered to think that her mother worked with this man.

He pulled her through the red doors and down a white wash hallway. The walls were empty of any awards or commendations like she’d seen the movies show in record producers hallways, aside from one photo hanging starkly at the beginning by the door. It showed Cage at, what Clarke could only guess, the company’s start up celebration. Cutting a ribbon? Seriously? This was an Entertainment Company, not a Hospital or School.

Cage led her all the way towards the end of the hallway then took a sharp left through a large brown wood door. The white room (shocker) held a long black desk, the wall behind was lined with bookshelves. Instead of walking her to the chair in front of his desk, though, Cahe gestured to some brown leather chairs situated around a coffee table off to the side. Clarke sat down, bouncing slightly on the firm, unused leather, while he took the one opposite her. “I’ve heard a lot about you from the writers of the show.”

“I bet you have.” Her smile was now much more forced. She was surprised her mom talked about her at all, considering the last time they actually spoke face to face it had been a twenty minute screaming match over why art wasn’t a real career choice and she’d be in the gutter within weeks, verses why medicine was a soul sucking vacuum that would eventually turn Clarke into an empty, heartless bitch like her... Needless to say it did not end well, and it sickened Clarke to think that, on the off chance the medical adviser for the show had talked about her, that it was the only reason she was here now, accepting her place as survival contestant number two.

But Cage seemed to know nothing of the altercation, his gleaming bleached teeth still threatening to blind Clarke if she looked directly at them, so maybe Clarke’s mother hadn’t spoken too much of her, since it never took her long to get to the med school drop-out part. “Well, as you know, this new project requires us to know any physical issues you may have – considering the amount of exercise you’ll surely be doing – so...”

The fact that he just glanced pointedly down towards the sheet of paper irritated Clarke even more than if he’d just snatched it. She handed it to him, staring at Cage as he read over the sheet. If he’d really talked with her mother, then he’d at least know all the med school stuff (before the heartbreaking disappointment part of the tale began), so he’d at least try and read the medical examination form. The moment his brows twisted towards the centre of his forehead, Clarke knew he had gotten to the bronchodilator part of the paper.

“I trust you’ll supply me with the medication.” She feigned sweetness as Cage squirmed under her medical eye. She already had the medicine, the inhaler snug in her purse next to some water and gum. But it was always fun to mess with snobs.

“Of course,” Cage stammered, pushing aside any fluster and pulling the corners of his mouth back up. “Anyway, as the head show runner and producer, it is my responsibility to explain what the show is about and what you will be expected to do.”

Clarke perked up. “Oh, that won’t be necessary. I saw all the trailers before I applied and read through the terms and conditions document once I was signed on.”

“The whole thing?” Cage gaped. “That was fifteen pages of health and safety, violations of the rules, punishments and penalties, points of probable danger, duration of the experience, perks and bonuses and the winners rewards. Why didn’t you just click accept and move on to the rest like the other contestants?”

Clarke didn’t shrink in her seat under the weight of Cage’s scrutiny. Blame her for wanting to know just how to play the game, but she was going to win. Instead, she sat taller and stared Cage down. “I was interested in just what this experience was going to entail.” She took a deep breath, forcing the rising bile of Cage’s presence down. “Why don’t you tell me?”

Idiots like Cage always just wanted to feel in charge and if she had to swallow her pride and let him, at least it would make all this go on faster.

“Well,” Cage visibly let the waves of importance wash through him as he leant back into his chair. One leg crossed the other as his hands settled in his lap. “Obviously you’ll be expected to do a lot of physical activity. If you don’t, you’ll be out pretty quickly.” He chuckled at his own joke and Clarke forced a simpering giggle. Just keep feeding his ego, she told herself. “The premise is this: Twelve survivors of a series of devastating apocalyptic E.M.P. blasts have all stumbled upon little Arktown – one of the only stable areas left in the world.” – Clarke wanted to know just why it was stable and who had protected it, but she doubted the writers of this show had thought that far ahead – “They know nothing about each other, but they’ll have to work together to survive the challenges the new world throws at them. The only thing they have in common? Surviving the flesh eating cannibals who were affected by the E.M.P. They’re crazed, starving and are driven by the instinct to kill. No one knows what it did to them, all they know is that the only thing that can stop the animals... is death.”

Cage looked thoroughly pleased with his half assed zombie concocted show, but Clarke wasn’t overly impressed. Basically, he’d hired a bunch of low budget actors to chase them around in cheap zombie make-up while they try to survive. If she’d known they were going to be doing an overrated version of the Hunger Games, she probably never would have applied. Well, that wasn’t totally true, since the prize if she survived the longest was the choice between a scholarship to any college of her choosing, or the money it would have taken to fund it.

She met Cage’s eye. “It sounds great,” she said smoothly, trying to light her whole face with the enthusiasm of a dog looking at a tennis ball. Cage seemed to buy it as his face lit up as well. “When do we start?”

“You’ll be shipped out to the location tomorrow. That is where you will meet the other contestants.” Cage leaned forwards, a look of unease crossing his sharp features. “Now... I hope that you don’t mind that the first meeting will be televised. We want everything to be as authentic as possible, and you can’t fake a first impression.”

By this point, Clarke was just nodding alone. “They are important,” she agreed, trying not to sound too bored. She was on the show, they’d gotten past her agreeing to the terms and conditions, all she had to do now was sign the damn contract, and she could go get ready for tomorrow.

Folding her physical exam into his jacket pocket, Cage stood and walked to his desk. He opened a draw and pulled out a crisp white sheet and brought it back to her. As soon as he put it down, Clarke pulled it towards her and reached for the pen.

“Aren’t you going to read it?” Cage asked, a smirking tilting his lip upwards.

“I’m good,” Clarke mumbled as she signed the bottom line. If she’d been looking up, she would have seen the smirk widen on Cage’s face, his eyes sinking as the lids reduced them to gleaming slits.

“Excellent.”

She looked up as she handed it back to him. For the first time, unease spiked in her at the look on his face, something akin to satisfaction, only more... sinister.

She put the contract down on the table and stood up. Cage didn’t stand, just continued to smirk up at her as he linked his fingers in his lap. She stood awkwardly for a moment, then shifted towards the door. “Well... I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Until then, Miss Griffin.” 

 

* * *

 

Eight hours on a shuttle – really? A freaking shuttle for _one_ person? – was not how Clarke wanted to spend her morning. It had arrived at five am and taken her and the one pack of supplies she was allowed to bring (pre-approved on a check list they’d all been given so that no one tried to sneak in any unauthorized weapons) to the destination. They’d left the city an hour into the drive, leaving Clarke with nothing but forests and the occasional mountain side that they steadily climbed to sketch in her book. Nothing in the rules said she couldn’t bring the book, but the drive of the van, built like a line backer for the Indianapolis Packers, hadn’t seemed to have gotten the memo as he ransacked the pages until he was sure she hadn’t written any... what, zombie survival cheat codes?

Anyway, by the end of the ride she was cranky, stiff and not very happy when they loaded her off at the entrance to a small town then drove away. She stood beside an old faded green and white sign welcoming her to Arktown, nothing but one road and wilderness to her back. No map, no way of knowing where they would all be meeting.

“I guess the surviving starts here,” Clarke grumbled, shouldering her pack.

The town was quaint, maybe cute, if it didn’t remind her of that Forks town from Twilight so much. All the houses were a dull kind of grey with black tile roofs, shutters pulled all the way down unless the window was smashed for that ransacked survivalist look. They went the extra mile with some every now and then. She passed a couple houses that were missing entire walls, the wood splintered as living rooms or kitchens, entire sections of the houses, were left gaping open to the threatening rain fall, if the heavy overcast was any indication of what her and the others were going to have to sit through.

Her boots scuffed old candy bar wrappers and packets of chips, the tinkle of a soda can crushing underfoot just adding to the crow and creaky window ambiance. Who had lived here before Cage got his grimy hands all over this place? Had anyone at all, or had he built this entire set just for the show? Clarke stopped when her foot disappeared under a news paper, and she wondered which angle the camera would choose for when she picked it up so the shot could read the headline over her shoulder for effect. She didn’t pick it up, just bent down to read the headline.

**E.M.P. Blasts Lay Waste To The United States!**

**Multiple blasts of Electro Magnetic Energy have been discharged across the United States. It is unknown if the effects are worldwide at this moment. Due to the blasts effects, all grids have been shut down across the country, leaving electricity obsolete, and nuclear reactors unstable. Detonations have already occurred, a reactor collapsed outside New York City within hours of the blasts.**

**Evacuations have begun. Sit tight, the Army will come for you.**

Clarke rolled her eyes, but stuffed the news paper into her pack. If anything, they could use it as ignition for a fire later on. She couldn’t help but wonder who the ‘they’ would be. She knew there were twelve contestants including her, all out for the same thing. She wondered how they’d all go about this. She bet there would be at least one super loner, like the kind who wore all black and dark eye shadow and talked about how life was fleeting. There was always one. And a preppy girl who had no idea what she was doing, too. What made her laugh, though, was that Cage actually expected them to work together. He was pitting twelve kids against one scholarship. Clarke heavily anticipated that this would go down in flames before it even began. But, until then, she was ready to meet her competition, spend the first night gathering supplies and scoping them out, then go find a place to hide and wait out the others.

The sun was starting to sink when Clarke finally got an idea of where she was going. Towards the centre of the town an orange glow lit up the dimming sky, smoke lazily inking out the stars above. Someone had managed to light a fire, a big one by the looks of it. Clarke realized that whoever had was not going to last very long in the game if they kept lighting up their location like a beacon drawing in moths. She moved cautiously towards the light, not wanting to get caught out like a bug with a zapper if it turned out that the person was actually a genius.

She passed more houses, and what looked like a gym. She peeked inside from a side door and saw that it expanded, connecting into a shopping centre from the front entrance. She passed by and kept moving. But as she moved further into the town, searching to find the origin of the light, she realized she was getting boxed in, becoming surrounded on all sides by more of the houses until the orange glow began to fade into the darkness and the outline of the woods became clearer. She stood at the end of the street and stared out, past the gaps between the end houses and into the forests, the road behind her looping back around in a cull-da-sack and disappearing back the way she came. The trees stood together like soldiers at war, the branches thick and strong armed as they intertwined with the limbs of their brothers. Flecks of light poked through the gaps between the branches and leaves, smattering the paved road in weakening daylight.

Nothing moved or made a sound, except for the occasional caw of distant crows taking shelter for the night. It was like that moment when you’d been watching a scary movie and were just waiting for something to jump out at you. Tension filled Clarke’s body, rooting her to the spot as she continued to stare into the darkness. She didn’t know what she expected. She couldn’t be ‘killed off’ now, all the contestants had to be introduced, and it felt silly to believe something was watching her, it was a TV show, they were all being watched.

And yet... she felt like someone was there. Maybe in one of the houses. But her eyes stayed glued to the trees. A branch shifted and her eyes snapped to where the sound had come from. Heavy. Deliberate. Like something was there...

“You a player?”

Clarke’s hand flew to her chest, an obscene curse leaping past her lips as she spun around. A girl was standing behind her. Her hip was cocked, a fist curled around the handle of a battery powered lantern propped against it that cast her in a neon yellow light. She wore a red jacket, puffy around her elbows, and her thick dark hair was pulled back into a slick pony tail.

“What?” Clarke asked.

The girl rolled her eyes. “I said, are you a player? You know, for the show?”

Clarke felt herself flush. Great first impression. Looked like she was going to be known as the easily startled one. “Yes.”

The girl nodded and began walking over. “Cool. You missed the entrance, by the way. The guy we had watching for the last contestant saw you go by. Instead of being helpful and calling out though, the idiot came and got me.”  She rolled her eyes, muttering something Clarke couldn’t hear as she stopped in front of her. “Raven Reyes.”

“Clarke Griffin.”

Raven nodded, looked Clarke up and down – taking in the dark wash genes, speckled grey top and black jacket that was partially bathed in her florescent lantern – then turned and began walking back the way she had come. “We’re camped in the mall. You can come for the night, but if you don’t offer something to the group, you’re out by morning.”

“Why would you want a group at all?” Clarke asked as she jogged to catch up. Raven shot her a sideways look as she fell into pace beside her.

“Why not? Safety in numbers and all that crap,” Raven said with a shrug. “Wasn’t my idea anyway. There was a group of guys who all got dropped off at the same time and said someone met them here. He’d camped in the mall and said anyone who wanted in could come.” Raven turned her head to look directly at her. “Why would you not want one?”

Clarke stared firmly back. If this girl wanted a group, that was fine, but Clarke wasn’t giving her any reasons to start wasting the others in their sleep. Luckily that was against the rules, but accidents could easily happen.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Clarke said.

“Then how did you mean it?” Raven pushed, not backing down.

Clarke was just stammering for an answer when a lanky guy with goggles pushed high up his forehead came running over to them. Clarke could just make out his whiskers in the glow, and realized that they were back at the side door entrance to the gym.

“You found her!” the boy exclaimed and smiled brightly at Clarke. His teeth glowed in the darkness like they’d been black lit. “I’m Jasper. Sorry about not calling out, but I didn’t want to attract any... hungrier attention.” He looked positively giddy at the thought though. Check off overly excited guy who plays video games.

“The game doesn’t start until tomorrow, genius,” Raven sighed, rolling her eyes. They lingered on Clarke for a moment, then she pushed past a sheepish looking Jasper and into the mall.

Clarke couldn’t help but smile up at his red face as he watched Raven go by. “I got a little jumpy by the woods. It’s easy to get caught up,” she offered, and Jasper smiled a little at the words. She owed him that much, hi interruption had offered her time to think of an excuse to give to Raven, the next time the girl was sure to ask Clarke about her survival strategies.

They walked in together, Jasper leading slightly as they followed Raven through the gym and out into the main complex of the mall. From there, Clarke could easily tell where the fire glow was coming from. Where the majority of the benches, water fountains and food kiosks were usually placed, a huge open pentagon like middle marked out the very epicentre of the mall. It could be accessed from all sides, giant hallways leading to other parts of the building. At the very back were double escalators to access the second floors, where she could just make out the edges of the red and white table cloths and banners of the food court from where she was standing, and above that a huge sky light that stretched right across the ceiling, the glass shining amber, though cracked in some places. 

Gathered around the fire, the wood most likely from one of the benches since Clarke counted four stretching around one side of the pentagon and three around the other, were maybe ten other kids. Their packs were strewn in a pile beside the fire, and a smaller boy had arranged them into a sort of chair that he lounged in, which made Clarke shuddered at how irresponsible this group already were. Jasper went straight to the boy sitting amongst the packs and threw himself into his lap, laughing as the other exclaimed to get off. The fight ended when Jasper got his goggles pinged against his forehead by another boy who’s slick hair fell in front of his bulging eyes.

“Quit doing that, Murphy,” Jasper moaned as he rubbed his forehead.

The Murphy boy laughed as he moved back to his spot by the fire, his face cast in shadows of the flames light. His eyes landed on Clarke as he turned, but he must of decided that she wasn’t worth his time as he kept going, sitting beside a small cluster of two boys and a girl. Clarke watched as Raven made a conscious effort to move to the other side of the fire, away from Murphy, and next to another girl. She couldn’t have been older than fifteen, maybe fourteen, and was considerably smaller than the rest of them. 

Clarke moved to Raven and sat on her other side. The girl looked up at her, her hair braided back from her face in neat plats. The hoodie she wore practically engulfed her, making her look like a nomadic Inuit that had strayed way too far from the north.

“Aren’t you a little young to be on this kind of show?” Clarke asked the girl.

Raven let a puff of hair leave in a quick laugh. “We’ve all asked her that.”

The girl in question shook her head. “Nope.” At the look of disbelief on Clarke’s face, the girl rolled her eyes. “I don’t have parents. They’re dead, and foster care sucks. There’s no adult figure to say I’m not sixteen, so they can’t do shit.” The girl must of seen Clarke’s disbelief written across her face. “Cage never asked how old I was. I showed him a fake, he let it pass. Besides and with the money I could actually move out of the hospice.”

“Charlotte’s a badass,” Raven summed up, and the girl grinned before hunkering back under her robes of jumper. Raven carried on, pointing out the rest of the people laying around the impromptu campsite that washed them in flickering shadows. “You already know the Einstein that is Jasper, and the boy he’s draped across is Monty. Those two entered together, like their own group.” Raven shot Clarke a look that had her sinking slightly before she carried on. “Over there is Murphy. He came on his own. The kids he’s sat with are Roma, Miller and Atom. Miller, Atom, Murphy, Jasper and Monty were the ones who got here after the first guy.” She then pointed over to the last unidentified kid, a blonde girl who was hovering a little awkwardly near Jasper and Monty. “All I got from her was her name. Harper.”

Clarke did a quick count. “That’s only ten people. Where are the last two?”

Raven shook her head as she shrugged. “They heard the shuttle pull up and went to see who it was. They’ll be back any second.”

As if on cue, a boy with long floppy hair jogged into the mall. Murphy was up and on his feet in seconds, but relaxed when he saw the boy and went back to sharing jabs with the other kids. Clarke wondered who he was waiting for and why?

Raven rose to meet the boy but when he stopped his eyes cast over her shoulder and landed on Clarke. She flushed when she saw his lips stretch into a smile, those brown eyes sparkling lightly in the fire glow. Raven didn’t seem to notice, and when she nudged the boy, he broke his contact with Clarke to look down at her with the same lazy yet sincere smile.

“They weren’t there, though I’m guessing that’s because she’s right there?” the boy said, nodding towards Clarke.

“Yeah, found her wandering near the forests,” Raven said, her tone heavy and sarcastic as she looked at boy as if he’d hung the moon. Her tone was like she was pretending to be amused by a toddler putting a bucket on its head and Clarke flushed more at how she was coming across to this stranger. Raven turned and gestured to her. “Finn, meet Clarke Griffin. I think she’s the last on-” she would have said more, if her eyes hadn’t sharpened to something past Finn. “Jasper! That Butterfinger is not for you! That’s my tactful candy bar!”

She charged towards the boys, leaving Finn and Clarke alone. Finn didn’t give her a quick glance like Raven had. He smiled as he kept his gaze on her face, and Clarke found she would have preferred it if he’d simply cast her glances. He smiled easily, taking in the soft features of her face, and she could tell by his smile when he noticed the birthmark on her upper lip. He was looking at her like Raven looked at him.

“Finn Collins,” he said, stepping over some bags that had been flung away from the pile in the fray as he came closer. “Raven left out my last name. She forgets not everyone knows me as well as her.”

“Are you guys close?” Clarke asked, feeling her gut sink. She had to remind herself that she wasn’t here to make friends. She was here to win a contest... even if Finn kept giving her that smile that made her breath stutter a little. It was the unfairly perfect balance of confident and genuine.

“Uh..” Finn’s eyes darted at the question, then came back to hers. “Yeah. Friends since diapers. We grew up together. She’s the one that suggested we do this contest.”

“Are you not into the whole surviving a zombie infested world with eleven other people?” Clarke joked, then immediately wished she hadn’t.

But Finn just kept on smiling, a chuckle escaping him. “I wasn’t... but I’m starting to.”

Clarke bit the inside of her cheek as her eyes locked with Finn’s. Maybe making one friend wouldn’t be so bad.

The moment was dashed when Raven came back over. Finn broke the eye contact to smile down at her as she leaned against his side. Clarke smiled at the friendly gesture, while Finn looked down right awkward as he adjusted his arm so Raven could fit easily against him. Add unfairly awkwardly cute to that concoction.

“Where’s the other guy?” Raven asked.

“He told me to go ahead. He decided to check the other entrances to the mall,” Finn said.

Clarke couldn’t deny that that was smart. Even though the contest didn’t start until tomorrow, if they intended to stay here they might as well fortify what they could.

Raven turned back to Clarke. “The other guy is the one who said we should come here with him. He’s the one that suggested the group.”

As if on cue, heavy steps filled the mall and the chatter fell silent. Murphy was up again, looking directly over Clarke’s head. The sharpness of his eyes speared a prickle of apprehension down the hairs on the back of Clarke’s neck. One by one the others followed Murphy’s gaze. Just as she was turning around, Raven grabbed her arm.

“Hold on blondie, this guy can be a little...”

“Blunt,” Finn grumbled for her. “It’s all bullshit. He thinks he’s in charge just cause he got here first.”

Clarke rolled her eyes. “One good idea isn’t going to make me bow to his every order.” She kept talking as she turned to see the fearsome leader. “He probably just watched Dawn of the Dead before he came here. I bet he-”

“Cinderella’s late to the ball. We can’t get started until we’re all here,” a gruff voice muttered as he stepped into the firelight, silencing Clarke as she faced the man behind the voice.

Tanned skin and black curls washed in orange stood stark against the glow, but Clarke’s gaze fixed on the pair of dark brown eyes just as soon as they snapped to hers, the weight of the stare hitting her in the gut and chest at the same time. He was bigger, and leaner, from when she’d last seen him. But the eyes, darker than chocolate, were still the same.

“Bellamy?”


	2. The Gathering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke is more than shocked to find that someone from her past has also entered the game. But for what? What was Bellamy doing in a game meant for college students? Not that she can talk with college and half of Medical School under her belt. Their reunion is short lived, however. Cage comes, bearing the rules of Dead Sun and how they will survive. But not all that was told to them was the truth, so who can they trust now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back, Babes!!
> 
> Super ecstatic about the feedback for this piece! I'm so glad you guys liked it and have been begging for more! Sorry that my updates are slow. Blame that on a combination of new job, planning my novel and making sure this is up to my beloved readers standards before posting!
> 
> Something that I love getting are reader theories. I love seeing how involved people are getting in my works, so don't be afraid to guess! (I already got a story so I'm not fishing for ideas. Give me some credit :P ) 
> 
> As you already know, I am all about developing my voice as a writer so feedback would appreciated massively. I put my heart and soul into my work, so be sure I will work my hardest not to disappoint you. It tears me up to think someone was left unhappy with my writing.
> 
> So, in a nut shell, I hope you read this, I hope you like it, but overall I hope and pray that you...
> 
> ENJOY!

Clarke watched Bellamy's eyes flare until they took up half his freckled face, the rest dropping three inches as his mouth fell open. His lips twitched, like he was trying to find something to say. Then it all slammed shut: the muscle she never forgot popped as his jaw tensed, turning his lips to a thin line, and his dark eyes closed off as they left her blue gaze to look just over her shoulder.

"Wait, you guys know each other?"

Clarke looked to Finn. Raven was beside him as usual. She could feel the eyes of all the other campers watching them, Charlotte's eyes filled with wonder and curiosity, as big as an anime cartoons as they reflected the firelight. It was better than the remaining awkward stares, but Clarke simply ignored those.

Just as she remembered how to talk again, a new set of footsteps announced the arrival of someone else, and all the eyes snapped to them. Murphy even tensed, like he was getting ready for a fight. It was something Clarke had noticed him doing since she had arrived, an aggression just under the surface, and almost a hunger for confrontation that would prove dangerous for him, useful for the rest of them further ahead if he kept at it.

However, one look cast from Bellamy had him backing down as Cage emerged into the fire light.

"Ah, I see you're all finally here." His head arched to give Clarke a pointed look as he went to continue, but paused when he noticed her still gaping at Bellamy. He looked to Bellamy and found him scowling back at him, before his eyes dipped to the floor. "Do you two know each other?" His eyes suddenly gleamed. "Any past drama I should know about?"

"We-"

"I've never met her," Bellamy interrupted gruffly, then turned his back to go and sit beside Murphy. The fire cast his face in deep orange and for the first time since quitting medical school to finally pursue her passion, Clarke felt invisible as Bellamy vehemently refused to look back at her.

"Really?" Cage sounded put out, like he'd been told to put something back in the store. He quickly shook it off, pulling on a smile before turning to face the majority of the campers. His eyes lingered on Bellamy before he turned completely, like he was waiting for him to crack, and for once Clarke was with Cage on that one. "Anyway, as I was saying, now that you're all here, the game can officially begin."

The other kids shuffled closer to the fire, crowding around Cage like he was a prophet on the street. Bellamy didn't move from his spot, continuing to glare into the fire, and Clarke was the only one who followed his example.

"I will begin the first and only meeting you will have with me by telling you that this is on camera. We have begun filming wi-"

"Where are the camera men?" Murphy demanded, some of the others humming in acknowledgement. Cage's eyes snapped so quickly to Murphy that the boy almost shrank back, hesitating towards Bellamy briefly before deciding to remain firm.

"There are no camera men," Cage replied after he was finished glaring at Murphy. "Due to the amount of movement you will be doing, hidden cameras have been set up all over the town." Cage reached into his pocket and pulled out what Clarke could tell was a plastic sewing pin with a bobbled pea head. "You will be constantly filmed by these camera's, so keep the hanky panky to a minimum. This isn't Big Brother." He chuckled, while some of the kids flushed.

Clarke just caught Roma's glance to Bellamy (and his returning chin tilt) before the shadows of the fire washed it away.

"This experience will run for as long as it takes," Cage carried on. "You will be expected to survive out here with no aid, other than what we have provided for you based off of what researchers deemed would have withstood this kind of calamity."

"So what you guys picked up from watching Walking Dead?" Jasper joked, snorting as he looked to Monty. His friend did not back him up, just stared fearfully back into Cage's eyes as the zeroed in on Jasper. Said boys snorts petered out as he shrivelled under Cage's glare. "...Sorry."

Clarke wasn't paying attention to them. She was already cataloguing what Cage was saying. EMP blasts weren't like bombs or natural disasters, they shut down but didn't obliterate, so she could be thankful that there would be no wreckage fallout that they'd have to deal with. She doubted there would actually be any results from the supposed nuclear detonations, that was probably just for ratings. Food would probably be scarce, but hopefully she could find canned goods. But that begged the question as she remembered cracked windows and shattered roofs, houses ripped in two with the insides trashed that spilled out into the streets... had this town suffered from neglect, or were the 'cannibals' Cage had yet to inform them of already moved in?

"This experience," Cage carried on, ignoring Jasper's muttered babbles, "will test all of you. You will not be receiving any help. No phone a friends. No supply drops. You will be expected to live and survive off what you can find, and from the help of your fellow contestants."

"What?" Every head turned to Bellamy as he stood up. He locked a glare with Cage's un-amused expression, probably at being interrupted again. "We're competing for the scholarship. Why would you think we'd work together?"

Cage's turned down mouth clipped upwards into a smirk. "Ahh... some truths may have been stretched on that one." He chuckled breathily as he rubbed the back of his neck, which only seemed to agitate Bellamy further.

"How thinly?"

Clarke only hoped Cage cut the bullshit and answered before Bellamy kicked the crap out of him, scholarship be damned.

"You are not competing against each other for a scholarship."

Clarke stood straighter, almost mimicking the confrontational way Bellamy's arms tensed at his side as he took a step towards Cage. She caught herself, choosing instead to cross them across her stomach.

"Well then why the hell are we here?" Murphy snapped. "Is there even a scholarship, or are we going to end up being hunted down one by one by some millionaire looking for the deadliest catch?"

Cage laughed, snorting derisively at Murphy. "You watch too many movies."

Murphy's face flamed. He made to start forwards, but Bellamy's arm shot across his chest. The younger man looked to him, but Bellamy shook his head as he regarded Cage warily.

"Then what are we competing for, and why do we need to work together?" Clarke asked before Bellamy even opened his mouth. His eyes flickered to her for a moment before returning to Cage.

Cage seemed to be watching the exchange, trying to listen to their silence, but no one had ever read the way she and Bellamy had been able to talk to communicate without words. Not even Octavia had been able to pick up on it, and memories of her trying to figure them out sent a wave of misery through Clarke before she could stop it. She almost missed what Cage was saying as memories of her time with the younger Blake, her best friend, washed over her.

"You are all competing for the chance to win a scholarship. If you make it to the end of this, you shall receive one."

The reveal sparked murmurs from around the group, but it was Raven who spoke up. "If we're all getting a scholarship then why'd you lie about the game at all?" She sounded as pissed off as Clarke felt.

"The promise of competition brought out the strongest fighters," Cage said, shrugging casually. "It'll all add to the drama when we see which of you can work together, and which of you can't."

The moment Cage mentioned drama, Bellamy's lip curled into a snarl and he looked like he might let Murphy go at Cage. "So how do we get the scholarships? If it's not last man standing then what is it?"

Cage looked at Bellamy like he'd asked the million dollar question and Clarke bet all the camera's were zoomed in on his face. "You get the scholarships by..." Cage paused, holding off, and Clarke was ready to hold him down while Bellamy strangled him by this point. "Working together to figure out what caused the blasts."

It was like someone knocked out of Bellamy."What?"

Cage didn't seem to notice as he smirked at him. "Arktown has its own history that you will work together to unravel. You will discover the town's origins, who the people were, what they contributed to the event, and how it came to be. Only when you have unravelled the truth will the people who did get their scholarships."

"So it's like an RPG video game?" Jasper asked, Monty nodding along to the idea.

"That's why he lied. He didn't want people knowing it was some nerd quest and have no one sign up," Murphy snickered. Jasper blushed and looked away while Monty rolled his eyes.

"And the cannibals?" Charlotte piped up from her place beside the fire.

Cage's eyes snapped to her and he grinned toothily. "You will also have to figure out the cause of their change. I cannot delve too far into the cannibals, but I can give you a run down on the actors playing them."

"Good, cause I'm not too fond of the idea of some Jennifer Lawrence wannabe taking a chunk out of my arm," Raven muttered.

"The actors are all the top of the physical role profession. Stunt Doubles, Combat Trainers, etcetera, etcetera. They are trained to make it look like they've hurt you, but really they will simply subdue you as their crazed counterpart would and 'eat' you." Before Raven or anyone else could ask, Cage produced a sealed plastic packet from his coat pocket that fit snugly in the palm of his hand. It looked like it was filled with some kind of dark, red liquid. "This is called a blood pack, they are often used in productions like this. The actors playing the cannibals all have these blood packs. They will burst them on any part of you they could have bitten." Cage stopped and pointed to Jasper. "You. Stand up."

After some hesitation, Jasper slowly complied. He walked cautiously over to Cage, who grabbed him as soon as he was within arm's reach and spun him around the face the others.

"If a blood pack is burst here," he pointed to Jasper's face and the boy flinched, like he was expecting Cage to splat him then and there and kick him out. "here," he pointed to Jasper's chest next. " and here," the stomach. "then you are automatically out. These are regions that cannot be saved and-"

"That's not true," Clarke cut off. "A stomach wound can be saved so long as internal bleeding isn't caused, and even then surgery could fix it."

Cage did not look happy at the interruption, especially as Clarke knew he couldn't bluff his way out of this one to an ex-medical student. "I doubt you could find the tools for stomach surgery out here."

"Even so," Clarke pushed determinedly. "It's unfair to expel one of us for a superficial wound that could be treated."

Cage stared down at her, jaw clenched, but Clarke refused to let him scare her. So, she tilted her chin up and waited. Cage bit the inside of his cheek, then let a breath of air out through his nose.

"If in the event of a stomach burst, it will be up to the amount of paint on the contestant that will determine the blood loss or severity of the wound." He gave Clarke a 'happy now?' look. She was, and remained quiet. "Anyway," Cage carried on, a notable growl added to his tone. "The regions previously mentioned –  _aside_ from the stomach – are instant kill areas. If you are hit here you cannot be saved and you are out. Spread your arms."

It took Jasper a second to realize Cage was talking directly to him, and flushed as he hastily complied.

"If you are hit from the shoulder to anywhere on your arm, or on your leg, you may continue playing, but activity with that limb is suspended until an appropriate amount of healing time has passed." Cage must have seen some eye rolls because his tone changed again, hardening considerably. "This is constantly filmed. If you are caught using an arm or a leg that is healing, you will be automatically disqualified."

The group was quiet as they let all the information sink in. Clarke's mind was working a mile a minute, reworking her survival strategy as she surveyed her new teammates. They all seemed to be doing the same as they glanced at each other, and Clarke realized that maybe she hadn't been the only one with less than friendly motives. Her eyes drifted to Bellamy almost automatically. He was staring into the fire again, and she could see by the flickering of that muscle that he was grinding his teeth.

_So you still do that, huh?_ She thought as she wondered what must be on his mind, beside the obvious that occupied them all.

It was Murphy who broke the silence. "What kind of Hunger Games bullshit is this?"

Cage smirked at him., then let his gaze sweep over every one of them as he turned and walked away. Just before he melted into the darkness, Clarke heard his voice float back towards them. "It's Dead Sun."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of stuff for you to discuss and theorize guys!!!
> 
> The obvious: Why does Bellamy deny knowing Clarke? What did Clarke do to deserve it? Why does Bellamy seem to hate drama so much? What do you think happened in the show, to Arktown? Will they all be able to work together?
> 
> And all the other stuff to discuss... I'm not doing all the work for you guys, come on. Where's the fun in that? Figure it out and...
> 
> REVIEW THOSE THEORISE!


	3. Inventory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy decides to search the Mall for supplies while Clarke takes stock of what they've got. Who's idea is better? Staying or leaving?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo!! 
> 
> How's everybody doing? I've been busy working and writing, the usual! I've loved the Feedback so far and I can't wait to get some more. You guys drive this story! Something that I love getting are reader theories. I love seeing how involved people are getting in my works, so don't be afraid to guess! (I already got a story so I'm not fishing for ideas. Give me some credit :P )
> 
> As you already know, I am all about developing my voice as a writer so feedback would appreciated massively. I put my heart and soul into my work, so be sure I will work my hardest not to disappoint you. It tears me up to think someone was left unhappy with my writing.
> 
> So, in a nut shell, I hope you read this, I hope you like it, but overall I hope and pray that you...
> 
> ENJOY!

"We're getting out of here." Bellamy began gathering up the bags as soon as Cage disappeared. He threw Jasper's at him and the boy squawked as it hit him in the chest, knocking him back and over the other bags tangled around his ankles.

"Bellamy!" Clarke cried as she and Monty rushed to Jasper's side. He flailed, snared in the straps and clips. Once Clarke was sure Jasper wasn't badly hurt, she stood up and glared across the fire. "What the hell is your problem? Do you want Jasper to break his arm?"

"My problem is this spots too fucking open, Princess," Bellamy snarled back at her, still tossing the other bags aside. "Who moved my goddamn pack?"

"Calm down!" Raven snapped at him as she went to a separate pile. She tossed a dark green satchel that Bellamy snatched out of the air on one fell swoop. He slipped the strap over his head before returning to the other bags, tossing them towards their owners. Raven's would have taken her off of her feet if she hadn't jumped out of the way. "Bellamy, what's your damage?"

"We've got to move to a safer location," he growled at her, stalking past the fire and over to her. Finn and Clarke flanked her sides as soon as he took his first step, both of them staring daggers at Bellamy. He stopped, glaring back at all three of them. "This spot's too open. We could get ambushed from any angle." He gestured toward the five corridors that lead to the other parts of the mall surrounding them.

"You picked it," said Finn. "you lead us here, now say it's not safe?" He ran his fingers through his long hair, smoothing it out before glaring back at Bellamy. "It's the first night, they're not going to start kicking us off yet."

"Finn's right," Clarke spoke up, and Bellamy's eyes snapped to hers. "We need to spend this night being smart while we have the time. We should take stock of everything we've brought, then make a list of what we need to find. Once we're ready, then we can move somewhere safer."

"You think it's just that easy, Princess?" Bellamy sneered, coming even closer. He seemed to have forgotten all about Raven and Finn, and even when the smaller boy squared up, all Bellamy appeared to see was her.

He used to use his height all the time, and even when she had to crane her head back, Clarke wouldn't be intimidated. "Why do you want to leave this spot so badly?"

The muscle popped against his jaw again before Bellamy turned away. She missed his eyes, his hand scrubbing across his face as he muttered, "It's not safe."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Stop being so dramatic." She moved back to her original spot by the fire, settling down next to Charlotte again. The little girl was watching the big kids with wide eyes, like a child watching her parents fight. But she smiled back as Raven grinned and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "We can rest here then give the man child what he wants in the morning."

Bellamy was already stomping away. His hand clamped onto one of the boys shoulders as he passed and hauled him up. Clarke thought she remembered Raven saying his name was Miller. He dragged the boy after him as he began to melt into the darkness, outside the glow of the fire.

"We're checking out the rest of this place."

Miller protested as he was dragged, but Bellamy's grip didn't loosen. Soon enough, Miller's yells of how Bellamy was a real dick faded away, replaced by the crackle and pop of the fire. Aside from that, silence filled the camp.

"He's intense."

Everyone's eyes turned to the quiet blonde sitting beside Jasper. Harper shrank slightly under their eyes, going back to helping Monty untangle Jasper from the bags.

"Looks like I agree with blondie," Raven sighed as she leaned back on her elbows. She caught Clarke's eye and shrugged. "Sorry, no offense to blondes, but she's right. That guy needs to dial it down. This is basic cable, not freaking Lost."

"That can grow on you," Clarke grumbled. Finn cast her a sideways glance that filled his light brown eyes with curiosity. She found it endearing, like when you hold a tennis ball up to a puppy for the first time. "Or, it can make you want to strangle him."

"No arguments there," Raven sighed, and Finn nodded in agreement, patting Raven's leg. He lingered for a moment, then stood up. Raven beamed as she watched him walk the fire's perimeter before she sank back into the bags behind her, her beam slipping into a sly smirk. "Sap."

Clarke found herself remembering times when Wells would do the same with her. A warm touch to her arm or leg. It wasn't one that left tingles of want or arousal, just simply a warm feeling in her chest that let her know he would be there for her. Now, all she felt was an ache as she remembered him, and was forced to relive all the time she had wasted.

She didn't want to relive them now though. She needed a distraction. "Can I look through those?" she asked Raven, gesturing to the bags behind her. "Like I said, it would save us time if we took stock now instead of waiting until later like Bellamy wants us too."

Mentioning Bellamy had the effect Clarke was looking for. Raven's face screwed up and Finn looked over. "I don't have a problem with you going through my stuff," Raven said.

"Me neither," Finn added.

"Me too," Charlotte joined in and Raven jostled the girl, glad to have another participant in the 'screw you, Bellamy' movement.

Clarke looked to the others around the camp. Monty shrugged, then slapped a distracted Jasper on the leg. He flashed a goofy, whiskered smile, then went back to chatting to Harper. She also gave her approval, as did Atom with a careless half shrug. Miller wasn't there to say no so she was going to take that as an okay.

The only two left were Roma and Murphy, and from the glares she'd been getting from Roma, she didn't think it was going to be easy to convince them. But Roma just rolled her eyes and kicked a small beige satchel across the floor towards her. Murphy looked sceptically towards her and she rolled her eyes again.

"Reyes is right. This is just basic cable. Cage said there were camera's everywhere so whatever we've got, it's gonna get seen eventually."

Murphy's eyes darted from Roma's and then to Clarke. He swallowed, set his jaw. "The black backpack."

All bags but one accounted for, Clarke set to work. She started with hers, already familiar with what she had brought. Water (in bottles easy to transport), a bottle of Aspirins, Ibreprofens, bandages, band aids, energy bars and some suture kits. It had taken all of her will to ask her mother for a tour of her hospital, but the results had paid off.

She set hers aside and moved on to Raven's. It clinked as she opened it, the source resulting in some kind of Swiss army knife. Every tool she could think of could be pulled out, unclipped or flipped out of the metal casing that could slide as easily into her pocket as a cell phone. A silver torch, some food and also a bottle of water. The lantern could be clipped to a strap on her bag, and the rest of it was cluttered with wires, plugs of different sorts and a cell phone.

Clarke set Raven's bag next to hers and moved on to the next. Finn's blue messenger bag fit easily in her lap and she began to leaf through it. Water and food, a torch, and a worn green beanie. Probing deeper, she found some more clothes, food, water... She placed Finn's bag away from hers and Raven's in his own pile. At least he brought plenty of food and water, she thought to herself as she reached for the next bag.

Charlotte wasn't much different from Finn. Clothes, though more holes riddled them than Clarke could count. She'd brought plenty to drink in the form of soda's and food in the form of candy bars and chips. Food that Clarke knew would crash their systems and dry their throats. She threw Charlotte a sideways glance to see her looking hungrily at the food.

"This stuff will only kill you," Clarke said jokingly, in that mother knows best voice she was infuriatingly familiar with. She threw one of the packets of chips to the girl.

Charlotte smiled and rolled her eyes as she caught the bag. "When it's all I got to eat it won't," she replied, then tore into the bag.

Clarke moved on to Monty's bag next. Right at the top was a jar of peanut butter and a jar of instant coffee. Clarke found herself beaming at Monty's brilliance, how two simple things could be god talking to them through food. Underneath was a plastic baggy filled with bottles of labelled pills and liquids: Aspirins, Pepto-Bismol, Tylenol, Vitamin Supplements. Every pharmaceutical Clarke could think of and more. Next she pulled a small tub of white powder. Her heart leaped, but upon opening it, she realized it was nothing but baking soda. Much easier to carry than toothpaste, she realized, and pressed very deeply at the bottom was a spare set of clothes wrapped in a cream parka. Monty was much smarter than her first glance had given him credit for. She put his bag next to hers and Raven's and reached for Jasper's. Maybe he had prepared with his friend.

The second she unzipped his bag, she slammed it shut with a barely audible squeak. Finn flashed her a look, but the thin smile stretched across her flushed face hid her trembling lips as she all but sat on the bag stuffed with weed, alcohol, cookies and maybe some spare clothes and a torch, though she's pretty sure it could have been a bong. That's why Monty had come so prepared. Monty was the responsible one, and Jasper was the party.

She all but threw Jasper's bag next to Finn and Charlotte's and quickly reached for Harper's, Atom's and Miller's – placing them in a little circle around her. All three were pretty standard, extra clothes, some water and food. They didn't really step outside of standard recommendations, though Harper surprised her, the stove with three travel sized propane tanks stashed away at the bottom of her bag and a sachet of water purifying tablets. Miller had been smart about his food, a simple bag of rice, a bag of beans – long lasting and filling, and Atom had his own pocket knife. It wasn't as decked out as Raven's, but it would work. She placed their bags with hers, Raven's and Monty's bags then went to Roma's satchel.

She spent a few moments staring at the contents, then looked to Roma. "You didn't bring any supplies." It sounded a lot more like a accusation than a question."All that's in here is make-up and really bad clothes for travel."

"I have to look good for the camera's," Roma said in a 'duh' voice.

"Don't you have anything useful in there?" Clarke asked her.

Roma paused, her head tilting as she thought, and Clarke could just picture a brain the size of a jellybean rattling around in her skull. "I've got some cigarettes and my lighter."

Clarke didn't have to think twice as she shoved Roma's bag towards Finn, Charlotte's and Jasper's. Her hand hovered over Murphy's bag, wondering if it was even worth it. Deciding she may as well check, she pulled the chords and opened the bag. The glint of a knife, serrate edged and toothy, stared back at her. She looked up sharply and caught Murphy's eye as he stared at her. He arched one brow, eyes glaring. Without breaking eye contact, Clarke pulled the bag shut and slid it over to join Roma and the others.

Six bags versus five. Monty, Miller, Harper, Raven, Atom and herself had at least attempted to bring something useful to the group. She was just lucky Harper seemed to be an avid camper – she didn't rough it but if they were careful then her supplies could last them weeks. Raven looked ready to build a generator with a phone charger and a penknife, and her and Monty had enough to stock their own pharmacy. To think, if she'd finished med school they could have opened a business and not had to bother with this dumb show. Atom and Miller had supplied a lot of food, but again, only if they conserved it wisely.

But the five could be a problem. Murphy was the most obvious. One wrong look from one of those 'cannibals' and he'd have that knife drawn and getting them all caught in a fight they had no chance of winning. Roma was going to be no help, neither was Jasper if he was planning on being lit up the entire time. Charlotte's food would only drain them of energy instead of giving it, and Finn... Finn, while not bring much that would help, he at least didn't bring anything that would hinder them either.

Only one still troubled her now. What was Bellamy hiding in his pack? He knew he'd had to share it eventually, at least she hoped he did anyway. Not only would he need their help and they his, but if he let distrust grow among the others, it would only be a matter of time before they simply decided he wasn't worth the hassle and threw him out of the group.

But it was something else as well that set Clarke on edge. In that way they had always been able to read each other, Clarke noticed something was off about Bellamy. The second Cage had told them they would need each other, Bellamy hadn't looked as pissed as the others. His eyes had widened and his jaw locked his frown, the muscle jumping again as he swallowed. It was like he'd gotten bad news; An F on a paper. A dock in pay. He looked like he'd known he'd done something wrong, but the punishment would be much worse.

Like a lie he'd told had been exposed.

"What's got you thinking so hard?" Raven interrupted Clarke's train of thought, but carried on before she could answer. "Wait, don't tell me: He's tall, he's dark, and he's handsome in that infuriatingly 'I wanna strangle him then make out with him' douche bag kind of way that drives all woman crazy."

"Hey," piped up Finn.

"Not every woman, honey," Raven assured him with a wink and he grinned before turning back to the conversation he'd been having with Jasper. Raven chuckled, but it died down and she and Clarke fell back into silence. "So what's the deal with you two anyway?"

"There is no deal." Raven rolled her eyes at Clarke blatantly. "There isn't. He's just some asshole."

"And I'm Miss America," Raven deadpanned, causing Clarke to laugh slightly. "Come on, did you not see how intense he got with you? There's got to be some history there."

Clarke shifted in her sitting position, curing her legs under her like she'd done since she was little. "There isn't any history, Raven, really. It's like he said..." Clarke swallowed thickly as she remembered the way Bellamy had all but said she meant nothing to him with such surety. She swallowed again, getting past the lump that had formed just thinking about it. "Now, you and Finn on the other hand."

Raven smiled slightly at that, turning her head away to look at the boy in question. He was talking to both Jasper and Monty now, laughing with them as Jasper's arms waved with the enthusiasm of his story. "He's... he's always been there." She caught herself and flushed. "I mean, he's literally always been there. We're neighbours, grew up together. He'd bring food over whenever my mom... was incapacitated."

Clarke smiled as she watched Raven watch Finn. She was hit by more memories, of when she and Wells had been like that, always there for the other, ready to jump into anything. She missed him, more and more every day. Her friends had helped her get through that loss, and in doing so, she'd found the person that she thought could be that for her again.

Losing that kind of connection twice in one lifetime was hard, but seeing Raven and Finn's didn't make her bitter, and she managed a smile as Finn looked over at the two of them. She met his eye, the warm brown depths meeting her light blue gaze, and she felt her chest lift from the pain of losing Wells, and she actually let herself fall into the happy times they'd spent together.

Stomps broke her out of the memories. Everyone looked up to see Bellamy's scowling face materialize out of the darkness. Miller trailed close behind, looking more fed up as he flopped back down beside Atom and the others.

"Waste of time," Clarke heard him mutter.

Raven must of as well because she turned a triumphant smirk towards Bellamy. "So I take it the scavenger hunt didn't pan out?"

Bellamy glared at her as he stood just at the edge of the fires glow. Half his body was lost, but those hard dark eyes stared right through into Raven's. "Four places, all better protected than this spot, and all still in the mall."

"But we aren't moving?" Charlotte asked, looking around at each of them. Bellamy looked like he wanted to say yes and drag them all himself, but he remained silent.

"No, tomorrow," Clarke answered before the silence could stretch too long.

Too late, apparently. Coupled with Bellamy's death glare and the deafening crackle of the fire, the silence had set firmly like ice cream that had been in the freezer too long. Jasper's eyes darted between everyone, his bottom lip caught firmly between his teeth, before he let it all go in a heavy sigh as he reached for his bag.

"Well, seein' as we're not going anywhere..." The liquor sloshed in the clear bottle he held up and Atom whooped as he reached for a cup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of stuff for you to discuss and theorize guys!
> 
> The obvious: Why does Bellamy insist on moving so quickly? Again, why is Bellamy denying knowing Clarke? What did Clarke do to deserve it? Why does Bellamy seem to hate drama so much? Who may be helpful and who will slow them down? What do you think will happen during the night? What do you think happened in the show, to Arktown? Will they all be able to work together?
> 
> And all the other stuff to discuss... I'm not doing all the work for you guys, come on. Where's the fun in that? Figure it out and...
> 
> REVIEW THOSE THEORISE!


	4. First Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group spends their first night in Arktown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo!!
> 
> How's everybody doing? I've been busy working and writing, the usual! I've loved the Feedback so far and I can't wait to get some more. You guys drive this story! Something that I love getting are reader theories. I love seeing how involved people are getting in my works, so don't be afraid to guess! (I already got a story so I'm not fishing for ideas. Give me some credit :P )
> 
> As you already know, I am all about developing my voice as a writer so feedback would appreciated massively. I put my heart and soul into my work, so be sure I will work my hardest not to disappoint you. It tears me up to think someone was left unhappy with my writing.
> 
> So, in a nut shell, I hope you read this, I hope you like it, but overall I hope and pray that you...
> 
> ENJOY!

Thankfully Jasper didn't have enough booze to get everybody completely wasted, though Clarke had to double team her glare with Bellamy's when he tried to break out the weed. Teens lay about, dozing happily around the low flames of the fire. Jasper clutched the second half empty bottle of amber liquid to his chest as he snored. The first one lay on its side beside Atom, the milky glass magnifying his gaped mouth so that his tongue looked like a giant prune.

Raven had Charlotte tucked into her side as she slept against Finn. Luckily they'd managed to keep the little girl from having any alcohol, so she was currently coming down from a four soda sugar crash that Clarke had advised four times – one for each soda – that it would be a bad idea.

And despite being the only two actually old enough to legally consume the drink, Bellamy and Clarke had been the only two not to touch a drop.

Which was why they were the only two awake by the fire, surrounded by buzzed minors, who were all hoping to win against some bad Sci-Fi rip off of Lord of the Flies. Bellamy stared into the embers, back hunched slightly as he rested his arms on his raised knees. Surrounded on all sides but still completely blocked from the outside world as a war raged behind those dark eyes. It made Clarke wonder, just how much had changed since she'd left. But once in a while he'd glance around. Always checking, always waking himself up if his head began to lilt to the side.

"If you keep frowning like that you're gonna get crow's feet."

Bellamy shot her a sideways glance. They hadn't spoken since their little blow out earlier, and Clarke hadn't really wanted that or personal aging tips to be the first real thing she said to Bellamy since she last saw him.

"I'm an old man," he muttered dryly, looking back at the fire.

"It hasn't been that long," Clarke tried to keep it going.

"Been counting?" He didn't look at her, but she could hear the bitterness that would have pierced her in his gaze.

"In a sense." She absolutely did  _not_ celebrate the anniversary she'd gotten on that plane and left Atlanta behind her each year she'd been at college, refusing to go out in option of laying in her bed curled up and watching bad eighties and nineties movies until she fell asleep.

Bellamy grunted, humourlessly. "I'll bet."

He didn't get to decide whether or not she'd missed him, hurt over him. "What's your problem, Bellamy? Was wanting a future for myself so bad?"

Bellamy did look at her then, but his calmed, hardened eyes sank right into her, settling in her stomach. She'd remembered what she wanted to about him. How his eyes could be so warm, or passionate and demanding. How his large hands could hold something so gently, or on occasion beat the crap out of some loudmouthed ass. She'd remembered his fire, his ability to love even after the world had twisted his road, crashed the car then stolen his shoes when he tried to walk. Their years apart had made her forget. She'd forgotten just how much he'd protected himself from the outside, and now she was no longer by his side, but part of the crowd looking in from behind the glass wall.

He looked away, glancing around again towards the corners of the mall, before pulling a fake sigh from deep in his chest. "It's late, Princess, maybe you should get some sleep."

"You can stop checking for the camera's," Clarke seethed. "They're too small for you to try and find, and we've already been talking. You can't pretend you don't know me anymore."

"I don't know what you're talking about-"

"Your ly-." Both flinched at her raised voice, and Clarke quickly shut her mouth as Charlotte groaned. "You're a bad liar," Clarke amended in a quieter voice, to which Bellamy scoffed. "Did O ever believe you didn't sneak out to work those night shifts at that dive bar?"

Bellamy's eyes snapped to hers, that muscle ticking under his jaw again. Right, bad move but she'd roll with it. "Yeah, or how about when those Serbian guys began racketing the place? O must be in college by now, so I bet you can work days too."

"Sorry we don't all have mommy's money to push us along, Princess," Bellamy hissed back. Clarke opened her mouth to retaliate, but Bellamy was already leaning back, checking the walls again. "We don't have history here Clarke. No bars, no sob stories or trust funds, and no dead parents." Clarke flinched at that but Bellamy just kept going. "We don't have anything between us. As far as I care, you mean as much to me as Pot Head over there." He gestured to Jasper. "But if you keep trying to dig up stuff that's dead and buried then Cage is going to exploit that, us. Find the drama he's looking for. I don't give a shit what they find out about me. I've done what I had to do, and  _I_  never ran from it. But when the time comes to spike the ratings, break the audiences heart by killing one of us off, you can be sure as hell it won't be the pretty, little white, blonde girl."

He held her gaze a fraction longer than he needed to then leant back, assuming his original position, like he hadn't just ripped her heart out and thrown it at the fire he was glaring into. Maybe he was imagining he had, for in that moment – not in all those years they spent growing up at each other's throats, not when she got into collage, then med school, then dropped out – she'd never felt more invisible to a person then she did to Bellamy right then.

 

* * *

 

"Clarke, wake up."

Clarke groaned, pressing her face into the synthetic sleeping bag she'd brought with her. Something touched her shoulder, shaking her. She swatted at it.

"Just shake the damn girl awake," hissed another voice, the urgency rousing her into opening her eyes.

"What's going on?"

Finn was beside her, his hand on her shoulder as he glared up at Murphy. She registered Raven digging frantically through her bag off to her left, and Charlotte looking around through the barely there light of the dying fire.

"What's happening?" Clarke asked again, sitting up. The others were up as well, eleven faces looking around the camp. Bellamy was gone, but Clarke didn't have time to think about that. "Finn, what is going on?"

"Harper was followed on the way back from the bathroom, she said they got close, and there was something growling."

"Growling?" Clarke asked.

Harper nodded, her eyes everywhere. Clarke looked over her shoulder, the hairs prickling across the back of her neck as she pictured ten of those freakazoid 'cannibals' hiding in the shadows.

"It wasn't like a dog though, or any animal." Harper was almost hysterical. "It was like... You ever watch the Walking Dead?"

"Yes," Jasper replied immediately.

Harper fought off a snort. "Well it was like their growls. Not the weird hissing they do, but the one that sounds like it comes right from their gut."

"Or lack of," Monty added.

"Why don't you nerds shut up?" Murphy snapped.

"At least we're putting a sound to it. We'll know what's coming for us, so have fun while we leave you to get disqualified," Monty replied.

Murphy raised his fist as he stepped closer, but froze as a rasping ' _Ehhhh_ ' drifted across the mall courtyard. As everyone else stilled, Harper's head lifted while the rest of her body slammed in on itself.

"That's it! That's the sound," she squeaked, her arms coming to wrap around herself. Clarke knelt beside her as she began to shake, rubbing her back. "They're gonna find us. We're gonna get out on the first night."

"It's okay," Clarke tried to soothe. "We're not going out..." She struggled to think of something that could comfort her. Anything would be good at this rate. "Uh... Bellamy's not here, right?" She let Harper look around before continuing. "He's probably messing with us. Trying to prove a point."

It took a few minutes before Harper slowly brought her eyes back to Clarke's. At least she'd stopped shaking, so Clarke counted that as a win.

Raven moved closer, Charlotte practically at her hip. "Clarke's right. That cry baby still isn't over the fact that we listened to her over him."

' _Eeehhhh'_

Everyone looked around again, but the nervous edge to it had dialled down considerably. It sounded again, from one of the five corridors that led to a different part of the mall. Clarke could see a Subway's sandwich sign, the yellowy green flickering stubbornly. The groan sounded again, and Harper flinched.

Atom stood up and moved to the edge of the fire light, facing the direction of the moans. "Hey, man, cut it out." Everyone held their breath as the moaning slowly died out. "You've proved your point, okay. We'll – we'll pack up and head to a safer spot."

Clarke began gathering her stuff together, shoving everything into her pack while Raven and Jasper began doing the same. Maybe just doing what Bellamy wanted would make things easier, at least for tonight.

' _Eeehhhh_ '

"Stop doing that shit!" Atom snapped. "You've already freaked Harper out. You're freaking us all out, okay?"

Nothing. No responding moan. No answer. Clarke had stopped now. Her sleeping bag wouldn't fit without being rolled up. But as she stared into the dark, she didn't like how quiet Bellamy had gotten.

"Bellamy...?" Atom said. "You gonna stop being a-"

Before their eyes something dark and huge took Atom off his feet. He was lifted clean up, higher than his head had been, before he was slammed onto his back, followed down by the figure. It pinned him, one beefy hand planted on the thrashing boys chest, while the other searched out something in his shirt. He lifted the square packet and Clarke realized too late what it was before the plastic blood pouch exploded over Atom's chest.

Everything came back to speed when Charlotte screamed. Then all hell broke loose. More of them swarmed from all sides. Like a FUBAR horde, shrieking and yelling, the moans turned screams.

One leaped at Jasper. The boy yelped, ducking under the things arms and scrambling away. He used his pack to swing at one trying to grab at Monty. It crunched against the attackers face, the glass of the bottle inside crushing the things nose. It shrieked as it fell away, some kind of shuffle crawl that suggested Cage was paying these guys way too much to stay in character.

Clarke grabbed all she could carry before turning to Raven and Charlotte, pushing them onto their feet. "Move!" She pushed them towards one of the exits, covering their backs as she shuffled behind them. She missed one of the cannibals coming at her from the left until it started screaming. Her limbs locked, her feet stopped moving. All that worked were her eyes as she watched one of those things come charging at her.

"Clarke, move!" A body hit hers just as the thing was about to plough into her. She spun out, landing on her side. Fire burned up her wrist, her fingers shaking from the shock as she rolled onto her side.

Finn was on his back, arms grappled around one of the cannibals. It easily had a hundred pounds on him but Finn held strong, his arms wrapped around the cannibals front to keep him trapped.

"Clarke, help him!" Raven cried, leaving Charlotte to rush forwards.

"Raven, don't." Clarke jumped to her feet, ignoring how much her wrist hurt, and ran in front of Raven.

Raven pushed and pulled against her, trying frantically to break free and get to Finn. "He's going to get disqualified!"

Clarke turned before she could think, running at the cannibal. She saw Finn's eyes widen as she jumped on the man's chest, landing with her knees as hard as she could. A resounding thump, then the fabric beneath the cannibal's shirt plumed scarlet. She had a moment of victory before the cannibal bucked, throwing her onto her back. The air shot from her lungs, a guttural sound hissing out as she tried to remember to breath.

It only took that one second Finn relaxed his grip for the cannibal to break free, twisting around and pinning the boy. He clawed at his shirt, looking for another blood pack. Clarke feebly tried to get up, move closer to them. She couldn't do more than lift her arm towards the thrashing bodies.

A yell Clarke recognised burst through the chaos. The cannibal had just enough time to look up before another shape barrelled into it, knocking it off of Finn. The attacker didn't hesitate, raining blow after blow onto its face and chest. Finn only hesitated a second, staring at Bellamy as he kept the cannibal busy, before he was rolling the other way, towards Clarke.

"We have to go." He pulled on her arm, getting her to her feet before she even realized what was happening. "Clarke, move!"

"What about Bellamy?" She kept struggling, fighting to get to him as he continued to battle the cannibal.

"If we don't get out of here, then we're all screwed." Finn pulled again, her feet slipped from under her and she stumbled after him. He had his pack up off the ground, swinging it like Jasper had his into an advancing cannibals stomach.

"Bellamy!" Clarke cried before Finn dragged her around the corner and out of sight.

Their footsteps echoed around the mall as their feet slapped against the floor. Stores past by in a blur, the Subway sign flickering by like broken Christmas lights before she could blink. Finn turned them around a corner. Ahead, Clarke could barely see, a figure stood beneath a Foot Locker. They were waving their arms, and she watched as four other figures ran inside. As they got closer she heard yelling.

"Come on! Come on, come on!" he was shouting. "It's safe! Bellamy set it up last night, but we gotta get the gate down!"

"Miller!" Finn cried and the boys head snapped towards them. Just ahead three more people ran inside; Raven, Charlotte and Roma who were followed closely by Murphy.

Clarke made a count. Three, then four more plus Miller meant eight people had gotten inside. Atom... oh god Atom never even had a chance, which meant it was just her, Bellamy and Finn left. Bellamy, who'd protected them, set up an escape route for them and been disqualified saving her and Finn.

Miller's head was everywhere, watching them then looking every other direction. Clarke clocked the moment he saw  _them_ , how his body went ridged before he reached up and grabbed the grate. Finn cried out but it was too late as the black railings crushed against the floor, just before one of the cannibals leapt out of the dark. He thrashed against the grate, spitting and screaming as Miller fought to keep the gate closed.

Finn didn't miss a beat, skidding to the left as he rapidly changed direction and dragged Clarke with him. They took a hard left, banking down a narrow hallway that Clarke realized too late resulted in a dead end. Before she could curse the damn malls architecture she was thrust into a room, Finn following and slamming the door shut behind them.

Silence. Nothing but their heavy breathing filled the tiny cupboard, barely a foot between them.

"You think they're still out there?"

Finn didn't answer, just shuffled closer to the door. He pressed his ear to the wood.

"Finn?"

CRACK

Finn lurched back as the door caved inward. Another almighty bang filled the tiny closet as whatever tried to break through hit it again. Clarke shook as she pressed back against the furthest wall from the door as the cannibal rained blow after blow against it. She cringed as she thought of Bellamy, suffering under that same force, maybe three hundred pounds worth. Now the door seemed to borrow his strength as it held firm and, eventually, the blows lessened... until they stopped completely.

Neither of them moved for several minutes.

"Do you think it's gone?" Finn whispered.

Clarke leaned back, slipping down the wall until she was sitting on the floor. "I have no idea."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of stuff for you to discuss and theorize guys!
> 
> The obvious: What did Clarke do to deserve Bellamy's hate? Will Clarke and Finn make it out of the closet? What do you think happened in the show, to Arktown? Will they all be able to work together?
> 
> And all the other stuff to discuss... I'm not doing all the work for you guys, come on. Where's the fun in that? Figure it out and...
> 
> REVIEW THOSE THEORISE!


	5. Stuck in the Middle With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke and Finn have a heart to heart in the closet, covering everything from Dawn's light to Snicker's bars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Y'all!
> 
> How's everybody doing? I've been busy working and writing, the usual! I've loved the Feedback so far and I can't wait to get some more. You guys drive this story! Something that I love getting are reader theories. I love seeing how involved people are getting in my works, so don't be afraid to guess! (I already got a story so I'm not fishing for ideas. Give me some credit :P )
> 
> As you already know, I am all about developing my voice as a writer so feedback would appreciated massively. I put my heart and soul into my work, so be sure I will work my hardest not to disappoint you. It tears me up to think someone was left unhappy with my writing.
> 
> So, in a nut shell, I hope you read this, I hope you like it, but overall I hope and pray that you...
> 
> ENJOY!

If the silence got any thicker, Clarke was sure she would suffocate on the awkwardness. Finn hadn't said anything since their argument, sequestering himself in the corner of the closet on an over turned bucket to play a game on his phone. Looking back on it, Clarke felt a little bad for snapping at him, but in her defence, he'd stepped on a line.

As soon as it looked like the cannibals had gone Clarke was ready to move out and head back to the Foot Locker. Finn hadn't been as eager to go, arguing the (stupid, in Clarke's opinion) point that the cannibals were probably still out there. Clarke wouldn't be stopped so easily, pointing out that they could be gone now, looking for any other stragglers and they should escape before they come back. Finn continued to disagree, saying they saw the others make it into the Foot Locker before Miller shut the gate. But it was when Clarke tried to argue one more point – the totally valid one that suggested the cannibals didn't know just how many had gotten inside. They only saw the last four run in – that Finn did it.

"You just feel guilty about Bellamy and now you wanna go see if he's still in the game!"

After that it had only gotten louder. Clarke had lost track somewhere between ' _You're just jealous you didn't get the others to safety!'_ and  _'Even Charlotte could have been more help than you!'_ but she was pretty sure the cannibals were probably back by now, listening in on the argument so intense it could have made them break character and start snickering. She was wrong, of course, and she knew it, too, so that made it infinitely worse. Finn was the one that stopped her from getting disqualified, risking himself in the process, and now he was stuck in here with her.

Just as she was working on something that may get them on the roads to making up, Finn's voice sounded in the darkness. "You know I can only pretend to play Flappy Bird for so long until one of us talks again."

Clarke looked up at him, hiding her relief that he decided to make the first move with a roll of her blue eyes. "I wouldn't have known you were pretending, but then you said Flappy Bird. No one can play that and keep quiet for long."

Finn cracked a smile, even chuckled. "Yeah. I'm pretty sure it was Raven who cracked my screen," he said as he slipped the phone onto the floor between them. He pressed on one of the apps and a filmy orange hue accompanied by artificial crackle of a campfire simulation engulfed them.

Neither of them moved to speak immediately for a few seconds, before Finn took the leap. "I, uh, I'm sorry about what I said."

He wasn't, she could tell. He stood by it and he was right to. But she could see it in those puppy brown eyes what he really meant. ' _I'm sorry what I said upset you.'_

She hoped her returning smile and slight head shake told him she'd gotten his message. "You got us out of there to Finn. If you hadn't, I'd be out by now and most likely so would Raven or Charlotte."

"But not Atom," Finn murmured, looking down.

"Nobody saw that coming," Clarke said, putting her hand on his arm. "We all thought it was Bellamy messing around, even me. It's something he would do, trust me." Lie. Big fat lie. Maybe when they were little, and Octavia had insisted on watching a movie both Bellamy and Clarke knew would freak her out, so he'd set out a mean prank then. Not now, not when they had something to lose.

But Finn didn't need to know that.

He cocked his head, shifting back on his bucket. "You guys have known each other a long time, huh?" At her blanched face, he gave her look you would give a kid who swore on a grave that didn't exist he didn't take the last cookie. "Come on, you don't really think any of us bought Bellamy's not knowing you act, do you?"

Clarke didn't know whether to feel happy that he was so transparent, or pissed off because even when being so obvious he still insisted on being an asshole. "He said if there was too much drama the audience would just vote for the pretty white blonde girl."

Finn made a face. "I can't tell if that's racist or brilliant, you know in a reverse horror movie kind of way where the blonde with the big tits dies in the first five minutes."

"You've been looking at my breasts?" Clarke asked, and was rewarded by Finn's flushed face. She cut his stammering off with a wave of her hand. "I know what demographic you're talking about."

Finn's face calmed to a pink hue and he still had trouble meeting her eye for the next five minutes. Clarke didn't mind. She welcomed the silence, letting her mind stop turning over and over as she tried to think of new things to say so that she could keep Finn interested in her. He was nice, and cute, definitely funny. He was pretty much the opposite of Bellamy, and his charm was less forced than Wells had been. He'd taken a more formal approach to life, whereas Bellamy acted like everyone was guilty until they proved their innocence.

Finn was different, he cared about others. Look at what he did to make sure she stayed in the game. With him it was easy to guess he'd helped her simply because it was in his nature to be good. She had no idea why Bellamy did what he did, and now she'd probably never know.

"Hey." Finn's voice through the semi darkness brought her back. "I know it all seems pretty bleak now, stuck in this closet and all, but it's always hard to find your way in the dark. Sometimes you just gotta stick your hands out, hope for the best, and keep moving until dawn comes to light the way again."

"Light the way?" Clarke asked with a small smile.

Finn shrugged. "I don't know. Apparently it's something I've always said."

He reached into his bag and pulled something out. Clarke had to scootch closer to see that it was a Snickers bar. "I see Raven isn't the only one who comes prepared," Clarke teased as she took it.

"Who do you think gave her the idea," Finn replied, winking as he pulled out his own bar.

They ate in silence, the quiet so thick you could hear any time one of them crunched a whole peanut. Clarke wanted to thank Finn, let him know somehow that what he'd said had made her feel better.

"You're a cheesy guy," she mumbled around the halfway bite. Finn cocked an eyebrow at her, looking amused. "But... thank you."

"No problem, Princess."

It was her turn to flush. Only one person in her life had called her that, but this was devoid of Bellamy's usual snark mixed with mockery. If she let herself, she could see life beyond this fucked up game. Being called Princess affectionately every day just like Finn had done then. If she didn't make it to the end, she could work at some crappy job, then paint all day in her crappy apartment. But it wouldn't all be so bad if the front door let in someone with soft shoulder length hair and warm puppy eyes who called her Princess.

Clarke blushed again as her thoughts began to get more and more whimsical. She knew infatuation was a thing that could escalate, look at how Romeo and Juliet turned out, but she'd never managed to gather a crush on someone so quickly before.

' _If Cage finds the drama's he's looking for, he's going to exploit it. Exploit us.'_

What the hell did Bellamy know, anyway? As far as he cared there was no 'us' between them, not any more at least, and he didn't seem too fond of the memories either.

Heat burned behind Clarke's eyes as she glared down at her feet. If he wanted to throw everything they'd been to each other away then let him, but she wasn't going to miss an opportunity to not be the miserable asshole he was so determined to be.

A hand landed on her shoulder. She jumped, only just realizing Finn had moved closer the more she worked herself up over something that just wasn't worth it any more.

"Clarke? You okay?"

Her bottom lip trembled before she could stop it. Finn glanced down at it, then back into her glassy eyes. He swallowed, lifting his hand to up her jaw, his thumb stilling her lip. Before she had time to wonder if he'd act on the turmoil she could see flickering in his gaze, he leaned in and kissed her softly. He pulled back almost immediately, gauging her reaction.

_Screw it,_ Clarke thought, done with feeling sorry for herself, with comparing Finn's kindness to Bellamy. She just wanted to feel cared for, so before she lost her nerve she reached up and pulled Finn back towards her, planting her lips firmly on his.

Finn went with it, leaning back against the wall and pulling her onto his lap. His fingers stretched over her hips, slipping under her shirt, and she shivered as they brushed bare skin.

He pulled back, breath a little laboured. "Too far?"

"A little..." Clarke murmured bashfully.

Finn smiled at her reassuringly, pulling her head down so he could lay a gentle kiss on her golden crown. "It's okay... we've got time in here. We can take it slow."

Clarke smirked. "Can we make out some more?"

A flash of hesitation, before he shook it off, chuckling. Clarke's heart skipped a beat at his consideration for her feelings. He pulled her back in, his arm lowering to snake securely around her waist and pull her closer while her own wrapped around his neck .

Maybe staying put wasn't such a bad idea.

* * *

"I can hear you thinking."

Clarke lifted her head from Finn's chest. She hadn't realized she'd been staring at the door, her finger idly tracing up and down his side. She stopped what she was doing, twisting her head to look at him.

"Sorry. It's just..."

"You can't stop thinking about Be-" He quickly stopped when her lips turned down into a frown. "About the others," he corrected.

She didn't respond, moving her eyes back to the door instead. She felt Finn suck in a deep breath, then expel it even slower. He squeezed her arm, then sat up. They'd had to lie down on the cold floor, some old janitor uniforms spread under them, to both comfortably fit in the closet. Now Finn had disturbed the sort of nest they'd made, once Clarke decided they should probably try and get some rest (forty two minutes after they'd started).

"Come on. We should make a break for it while it's still quiet."

Clarke sat up and watched as he hunted around."What?"

Finn turned, brandishing a long doubled headed broom. He held it out in front of him by the two handles like a set of claws, testing how far the reach would go before snapping them closed, then open again.

"We're gonna get out of here."

Before Clarke could say anything Finn moved so that his back was against the wall by the door. She joined him, careful not to obstruct the arm holding the broom in case he needed to take a quick swing. He put his hand on the brass knob, shot her a quick look over his shoulder, then twisted.

He threw the door open and swung the broom as hard as he could. Clarke flinched as it hit the wall outside with a resounding  _WHAACK!_ They locked eyes, then bolted out the door before anyone could hear the echo. And by bolt, they tore down that hallway faster than any one hundred metre, lightening armed, track runner ever could.

Doubling back the way they came, Clarke was out front. Finn was weighed down by the broom, a step behind her. The desolate stores of the mall zoomed by in a blur, places Clarke couldn't remember passing when they fled from the fire the night before. The hallways were almost pitch dark. Another whole day must have passed while they stayed hidden. They passed a blinking sign that had Clarke skidding to a halt and turning back. Finn almost slammed into her back, catching himself as she looked back toward the sign.

Subway Sandwiches.

"We went that way," Clarke managed between laboured breaths. "The Foot Locker's down that ha-"

Finn whirled around, the broom hefted over his shoulders before she could finish. She'd heard the steps as well and ducked behind him, giving him the room he would need. There was no way to tell how many were there, only that whoever was, was close.

"Finn?" Clarke murmured.

"It's gonna be okay, Clarke," he said immediately, his knuckles whitening around the broom. He edged carefully towards the corner, arms tensed and ready.

"I heard his vo-"

Finn swung around as hard as he could. The sound of the impact was drowned out by a squawk, followed by the thump as Jasper appeared around the corner, his head snapping back while his feet tangled under him. He hit the floor, holding his nose as it began to gush blood. Another set of footsteps came thundering around the corner. Finn didn't stop to think as he hefted the broom again.

"Jasper where – Whoa!"

"Raven?"

Finn didn't have time to ask anything more. Raven threw her arms around him and pulled him in before he could draw another breath. His arms wrapped around her waist automatically, letting Raven pull him in closer so that his face buried into her hair.

Clarke would have found the reunion sweet as she caught Finn's eye through Raven's thick brown hair. But that vanished in the three seconds it took Raven to pull just far enough away from Finn then yank his face down to hers and connect their lips in a fierce kiss.

All she felt after that was as if someone punched her in the stomach as Finn gripped Raven's waist and pulled her in.

"We don't have time!" Jasper yelled, already pulling on Clarke's arm.

She moved on auto pilot, not seeing Finn's sorry expression as he and Raven pulled apart and tore down the hallway behind her and Jasper. He was leading them the way they had already been running, back to the Foot Locker. It felt like that was all she was good for. Running one way, then being the coward she as and backing out to run the other. The Foot Locker's dimmed lights came into view as they rounded a corner.

Once again, Miller was at his post, the gate shut. But once he saw them coming he jumped into action, grabbing the chain and yanking on it hard. The metal grated as the black gate lifted, the sound so loud Clarke could hear it over all four of their pounding steps.

She had no idea if any cannibals were following them as she dropped back, Jasper speeding on ahead, and then Raven and Finn, who hadn't unclasped hands. The walls stopped blurring, but her head pounded, her pulse in her teeth as she finally came to a complete stop.

"What are you doing!?" came Raven's voice, even though she didn't stop steaming for the Foot Locker. She was having to drag Finn after her, who chanced looks back at her over his shoulder whenever he could.

_Good question_ her brain said in a tone akin to a mutter. It seemed even her own mind was fed up with her cowardice.  _I could kick your butt into moving again, but what would be the point? Even if you made it to the end of this thing, how long until you give up again like you did with Med School._

"This is what I want," she panted. "What I've always wanted."

_That didn't stop you leaving them behind. You wanted them too, pretty sure more than you claim to want this. If you want to stay in the game, you've got to think of something more worthwhile than that._

Clarke's eyes thrummed back and forth, like a dreamers under their lids as they fell from the cliff. She took one step, then another, as she watched Finn hold Raven to him, both of them within the safety of the Foot Locker. Miller gripped the chain in his hand, but it looked like Finn was yelling at him to keep the gate open – from what Clarke could guess anyway – but her eyes were more on Raven as she stared at Finn with worry and... horror? No, fear.

"It's not me I have to stay for. It's-"

Before she could finish the thought, "Fuck's sake, Princess!"

An arm like led rod wrapped around her waist, shoving her forwards so hard she stumbled. She would have face planted the grimy tile if the arm around her waist hadn't kept hold as it shoved forwards, getting her to force her legs out in front before the fall.

Her eyes swooped up, past the firm chest level with her gaze, and up the bronze neck and sharp jaw line. Bellamy's dark eyes weren't even looking down at her, trained on the Foot Locker as he pushed them both along, shouting, "Miller don't you fucking dare close that gate!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BELLAMY'S ALIVE! Of course he would be, there's drama to be had :P
> 
> Lots of stuff for you to discuss and theorize guys!
> 
> The obvious: What did Clarke do to deserve Bellamy's hate? What do you think happened in the show, to Arktown? Will the group all be able to survive now that they're all back together? What about Raven, Clarke and Finn? What do you guys think Finn was yelling at Miller?
> 
> And all the other stuff to discuss... I'm not doing all the work for you guys, come on. Where's the fun in that? Figure it out and...
> 
> REVIEW THOSE THEORISE!


End file.
